This invention relates generally to a card counting machine and, more particularly, to a stacker apparatus for neatly stacking pieces of sheet material such as paper money, which pieces have been counted by a counting mechanism in the counting machine.
In a card counting machine, heretofore, as shown in FIG. 1, a pair of rotary drums 2 (only one is illustrated) disposed in axial alignment with each other are adapted to receive sheet by sheet the paper money transferred from a not shown counting mechanism through a passage 1 and a guide chute 6. In the cylindrical circumference of each rotary drum 2, a plurality of "L" shaped arms 3 are provided in equispaced relationship. The free end of each arm 3 extends in a direction opposite to the rotational direction (shown by arrow 4) of the drums 2 so that a receiving space or pocket 5 is provided between the free ends of the adjacent arms 3. An opening 6a is provided in the shoot 6 to prevent interference of the chute with the arms' rotation. In a stacker apparatus with such rotary drums 2, each piece of paper money sliding down the chute 6 is received in the pocket 5 formed between the preceding and following arms 3 and rotated with the associated pocket 5 in the clockwise direction by the rotation of the rotary drums 2. When the preceding and following arms 3 pass through an opening 7a provided in an accumulating platform 7, the leading end of the paper money positioned radially inwardly of the associated pocket 5 between the preceeding and following arms 3 will engage a portion of the accumulating platform 7, thereby to cause the paper money to be pushed toward a pivotable plate 8 by the free end of the following arm 3. Thus, the paper money can be accumulated sheet by sheet on the accumulating platform 7.
However, in such a stacker apparatus, since there is a relatively large gap 5a between the adjacent arms 3, when the paper money is forced into the pocket 5, its leading end will easily pass through the gap 5a and then strike against the root portion 3a of the preceding arm 3. This not only causes the paper money to jump in the direction opposite to which it was being transported and out of the pocket 5, but also causes the jumping paper money to come into collision with the following paper money.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a stacker apparatus which can remove the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art stacker apparatus.